Different Stars
by Misty8
Summary: After one terrifying night on the road, Michael and Maria's lives will be changed forever. Post-Graduation Candy, Adult.
1. Chapter 1

**Different Stars**

By Misty

**Chapter One**

It had been four months without incident, which is not to say that the group didn't take every perceivable every caution. Driving all around the west coast in a crazy figure eight pattern, Max thought the best way to get the FBI off their trail was to take impossible routes through hundreds of nameless small towns and crowded big cities until they could come up with a better plan. They changed their hair and physical appearance at every stop, used fake licenses, and had changed vehicles five times. The journey had been tough on all of them, but they had made it through intact, so far.

After spending two days resting, they decided to leave Los Angeles, CA at eleven o'clock at night, leaving for the next town in a stolen minivan. Isabel was driving while Max sat in the passenger seat, reading the map. Kyle and Liz shared the backseat; he read a magazine while she slept. Maria and Michael occupied the middle seat, talking quietly. Isabel pulled up alongside a gas station.

"We're out of supplies. We might as well stock up here before we get back on the road."

"I'll go," Maria volunteered sitting up. "I've got to find a ladies' room anyway." Max nodded and Michael released her from his arms.

"Get me a bag of Cheetos!" Kyle yelled as Maria left the van.

Maria walked into the mostly empty gas station and headed straight for the small food section. She grabbed various cookies, chips, sodas, energy drinks, Kyle's Cheetos, and made her way up to the counter. Setting the stuff down, she remembered that Michael was low in his personal stock of Tabasco sauce. She walked back to the food shelf to find the space for the sauce empty.

"Excuse me?" She asked the bored-looking clerk. "Is there any way you can see if you have any Tabasco sauce in the back?" The man nodded, grumbling under his breath. After the clerk left, Maria suddenly noticed that she was alone, with the exception of two men who were looking at her. From the look of the two guys, asking the clerk to leave suddenly seemed like a bad idea. She turned around to walk back outside to the van, but before she could she felt a knife at her throat.

"Shh, pretty girl. We're going to take a walk outside," One of the thugs whispered as he covered her mouth. He nodded to the other thug as he began to drag her to the other door, opposite where the rest of the group sat waiting.

"Please don't…" she begged quietly as he continued to drag her into an alley. He hit her across the face for it.

"Don't you say one word, bitch."

Maria was doing her best not to cry as he slammed her up against the wall. She tried to scream, and he slapped her for it.

"Shut up little bitch!"

Her face stung but she remained still. She would've struggled more if not for the knife that was pressed threateningly against her throat.

"I'm going to have some fun with you," he grinned menacingly as he licked the side of her face. _Please someone come. Please Michael come. Someone please save me_, her thoughts were frantic as he kissed her brutally. She bit his lip in retaliation.

He hit her again. "You're going to pay for that, princess."

_Michael, please!_

He ripped her shirt down the middle as she cried out again in her head. Then he took the knife to her skirt, slowly cutting it off, piece by piece.

_MICHAEL!_

Michael sat up with a start. Without a word, he threw open the van door and took off in a dead sprint. Max and Kyle exchanged a look, then opened the door themselves. "You and Liz stay here," Max warned Isabel. "First sign of trouble, you leave." With that they were gone, following Michael.

"I get a piece of her next," the other man leered watching his partner intently.

Maria's captor laughed, "If there's anything left of her."

He grabbed her breasts roughly, then cut the last bit of her skirt, letting it pool to her feet. He looked at Maria's tensely closed eyes. "This is going to hurt."

Then the cold, hard voice came out from the street. "Let her go."

Maria opened her eyes to see her savior standing menacingly with his hand outstretched, an unthreatening action to those who didn't know better. The man just laughed and turned his attention back to Maria. In the blink of an eye he was flying across the alley to land against a dumpster. His partner bolted back into the safety of the gas station.

"Michael…" she breathed, her voice breaking. He ran up to her and pulled her into his arms. That's how Max and Kyle found them, and noting Maria's state and the man lying on the ground 20 feet away, it wasn't a hard puzzle for them to piece together. She put her arms around his neck as he moved to cradle her in his arms.

"It's okay baby, I'm here…" he gently whispered as she turned, crying into his shoulder softly. He stroked her hair as he walked them back to the van. Isabel opened the door and the newly awake Liz slipped out of her seat to let the couple use the back. Michael tried to lay Maria down on the backseat, but she would have none of it. She clutched at him tightly, still completely frozen in fear. He consented and sat down, letting her lie across him. He looked up at the two anxious girls, "Do either of you have something she can wear?" Liz nodded and took off the hooded-sweatshirt she had been wearing over her clothes and Isabel dug into her bag to find a pair of jeans. "Here, just use your powers to make them fit her," Isabel said, handing them over. Michael nodded and helped Maria change out of the torn outfit.

Liz motioned out the window for Max and Kyle to come in. They piled into the van, unsure of what to say, so Michael did it for them.

"Is he dead?" He asked it coldly, and they couldn't really tell what answer Michael would've liked better.

"No, just knocked unconscious," Max answered as he handed Michael the newly patched skirt. Michael took it wordlessly.

"Is she okay?" Kyle asked as he settled down into the passenger seat while Max moved to the driver's seat

Michael looked down to find that she had fallen asleep against him. _Good_, he thought. _Let her escape for a while._

"I don't know. She's not talking yet."

Kyle nodded. "Do you think he-"

Michael's eyes shot daggers at the boy, warning him against pressing the subject. _No,_ _I got there in time. I got there in time, I had to have gotten there in time_, he tried to convince himself.

Max's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "We need to get out of here quickly. Make sure no one saw it. Any ideas?"

As the rest of the group decided on the next city, Michael laid back against the side of the van, holding Maria close. _I could have lost her. I could have lost her… I should've gone with her. She shouldn't have gone inside by herself. I should've gone with her._ Maria chose that moment to open her eyes. Michael tried to calm his stormy emotions for her sake. "Hey, baby."

Maria returned a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked, trying to sound normal but too worried to achieve it.

She breathed deep and looked over at Isabel and Liz's wondering eyes. "I'm okay," she announced slowly. "Just a little freaked out." Michael breathed a rather large sigh of relief.

"I don't want to talk about it yet," she whispered softly to him. He nodded understanding. As he tried to fall asleep with her his thoughts plagued him: _I failed her. I swore that I would always protect her and I failed._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

A few hours later, Michael complained, "Max, I've got to get her in a bed or hotel or something. This can't be good for her." He nodded toward the fitfully sleeping girl in his arms.

"Are there any hotels where you can check in at 2 in the morning?" Kyle yawned.

"We're coming up on Bakersfield, we can rest up there."

A half hour later, a particularly large bump in the road caused Maria to wake up. "Michael, are you awake?"

He sat up and looked at her, "Yeah." He paused, "Are you ready to talk now?"

She nodded quickly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me, giving me time to collect myself, everything."

He kissed her cheek softly. "You're welcome."

She took a deep breath and Michael resolved to let her talk in her own time.

"I had asked the guy at the register to see if there was any more Tabasco sauce in the back," she started. _My Tabasco sauce, _he thought resentfully as she continued, "when one of the guys put the knife to my throat and forced me outside." She paused, finding it hard to move on, while Michael unfortunately was finding it hard to keep his anger in check. But he knew that whatever he said in anger now wouldn't help Maria, so he remained silent.

"He forced me up against the wall, and he hit me…" Michael clutched her harder, possessively.

Maria's voice was breaking, "Then he started cutting off my clothes…" She started crying again and Michael gently pulled her head into his chest. "It's okay Maria, you don't have to tell me now. Just go back to sleep." Maria nodded and tried to go back to sleep. _I'm so helpless. I can't do a damn thing to help myself,_ she thought bitterly as she pretended to sleep. _Anyone else in this car could've deflected it with some alien power, but not me. And he almost… almost… _She looked up at an unaware Michael and buried herself deeper against him. She wasn't upset, she was angry. She felt like a helpless little girl, unable to defend herself. She had almost had something taken away from her, something that she felt belonged solely to Michael. Fitfully, she went back to sleep.

"Hey, we're coming up on the 'Silver Palms Motel'," Max's voice awoke Michael as he pulled into the parking lot. Kyle went with him while the girls continued sleeping and Michael remained vigilant.

Max and Kyle came back with the room keys. "I got 3 rooms. No one sleeps in the van tonight," Max announced as he handed keys to Michael and Isabel. Michael gently shook Maria awake as the rest of the troupe began to unload the van.

Michael set his and Maria's bags on the bed in their room. She had calmed down considerably by now, but she still looked shaken. "I'm going to take a shower," she spoke quietly.

He nodded and kissed her forehead tenderly, "I'm going to talk to Max for a few minutes outside. I'll leave the door open so I'll be right there if you need me." She nodded and he kissed her forehead again. As he started to move away, she reached for his arm. "But first, can you…" She motioned to her hair.

He nodded and ran his fingers through her hair, changing it from the short brunette look that she'd had to adopt lately to long, wavy blonde hair, Michael's favorite on her. He even changed his own hair from the blonde, shaggy surfer look back to his long, slicked back, brown hair that had when he was in junior.

He watched her step into the bathroom, then he opened the door to find Max waiting outside.

"Hey Michael."

"Maxwell."

They walked together toward the railing, standing watch as Isabel changed the colors on the minivan. Michael spoke quietly, without looking at Max. "I failed her."

"You_saved_ her, Michael. She was just going into the gas station. We had no idea what was going to happen," Max reasoned.

"We should've."

"How-"

Michael turned to face him. "We've been so preoccupied with trying to keep our secret, and keep the government from throwing all us in the white room, that we forgot to keep our girls safe. And forgot stupid precautions that anyone else would've remembered."

"What do you mean?"

Michael sighed, "We let a young, teenage girl walk into a shady gas station on the wrong side of town, late at night, by herself."

Max didn't know how to respond.

"I failed as a human."

Max shook his head, "Stop saying that. She's fine now. Shaken up, but fine."

"But she was in my care," he scratched his eyebrow, growing visibly more upset. "She's my girlfriend. I'm the one who's supposed to take care of her, make sure that nothing happens to her. And I couldn't even protect her from a stupid human!" The outdoor light exploded at his fury.

Max grabbed him and held him still. "Calm down, right now. This isn't helping Maria."

Michael nodded as Max fixed the light. They both remained silent for a few moments. Max didn't know what to say to his brother. He knew that it wasn't Michael's fault, but when Michael started blaming himself for something, he refused to listen to reason. Michael had always seen himself as the protector of the group, the soldier. And the person that was most in his protection was attacked. Max didn't know how to reason with that.

Michael shook his head and leaned down against the railing. "I don't know Max. I got into that alley and saw her…"

"Michael," a soft voice called from the room behind them. They turned and saw Maria towel drying her hair, wearing one of Michael's oversized T-shirts. Michael gave her a soft smile and turned to leave.

"By the way, how did you know she was being attacked?" Max asked.

Michael looked at him, confused. "I heard her scream for me. Pretty loud, in fact."

"Kyle and I didn't hear her."

Michael shrugged, "I don't know. I did." He walked back into his room as Max went to his.

"Hey baby, how're you feeling?" Michael shut the door behind him.

She smiled gently in reply, "Better."

She came closer to him, took his face in her hands and kissed him fervently. "I need you," she whispered against his lips, with her eyes still closed.

He paused and looked at her, expectantly.

She opened her eyes and held his gaze. "Make love to me Michael, please. Make me forget," she took his arm and laid back on the bed, pulling him down with her. "I just want to feel you and forget what happened."

He nodded, laying his body over hers. "I need to see," he took her hand. "Show me what happened."

She looked slightly fearful. He wanted to see the flashes of the attack. Sometimes it was difficult to give specific flashes, and the last thing she wanted to do was relive it, but she couldn't refuse Michael. She finally nodded. He leaned down to capture her lips with his, desperate to make her feel better.

_"Shut up little bitch!" the thug slapped her face when she cried out for help._

Michael caressed her face with his hand, kissing her softly on he nose, forehead and both cheeks. Maria laid back, losing herself in Michael's touch. He traced the contours of her face with his fingers while he moved to meet her lips with his again.

_Maria winced as he grabbed her breasts roughly through her torn shirt. He pinched her nipples hard, Maria bit her tongue to keep from crying out again at the pain._

Michael didn't lift his mouth from hers as he tried to quell the storm of anger inside him. Someone hurt, _physically _hurt the girl he loved. All he could do was make love to her in passionate hope of somehow erasing that lowlife's touch from her body. He trailed his hands down her sides., bunching up her shirt around her waist. He lifted his face and looked into her eyes as she gave him permission. He slowly pulled the shirt off her body, and she closed her eyes, blocking out everything but his fingers on her skin. Michael was almost visibly sick when he saw the bruises on her beautiful breasts. He ignored his own hesitance, cupping her breasts gently with his hands. She gasped and his eyes flew to her face, relieved to see that it was from pleasure and not from pain. He kissed his way down her chest to the valley between her breasts. She reached down to intertwine her fingers in his hair. "Oh Michael…" He smiled and kissed the sensitive tips of her breasts.

_The knife hovered against her torn skirt as the man grabbed her thigh. He grinned menacingly at the terror on her face._

Michael pulled off his own t-shirt and then continued kissing down her body . He kissed down her stomach, stopped to dip his tongue into her belly button and continued his journey. His fingers lightly grazed her thighs as his lips followed, kissing everywhere. He kissed down her legs, lightly massaging her feet as he pressed his lips to her ankle.

"Michael…" she moaned softly, needing more.

"I know baby," he whispered as he kissed her lips again. He traced the outline of her lips with his tongue as his hands found the center of her body. He lightly traced his fingers up and down her folds, so lightly that they were barely there. "Ooh…" She moaned throatily, arching into his touch..

He slipped his index finger into her center, moving it in and out gently. At the look of pleasure on her face, he added two more, giving a little more to the movement inside of her. "Oh… God yes, Spaceboy," she murmured. He smirked as he started to move faster. "I've got you, Maria. Let it go," he whispered against her lips and she came from his prompting.

Without giving a moments pause, he moved down her body to take her into his mouth. He ran his tongue up and down her folds, as he had done with his fingers before, then dipping into her passage.

"Oh Michael!" She exclaimed as she started to thrash about the bed, giving into the pleasures that his mouth was enticing. Michael had always been a generous lover, but tonight he raised the bar with all the pleasure that he was giving. He had a one track mind and tonight his mission was to satisfy her until the attack was just a memory.

He moved to lightly suckle on her, grazing his teeth along her clit, and she came again, with him tasting all of her juices greedily.

He kissed her chest again softly as he waited for her to come down from her orgasmic high. She took his face in her hands again and brought his lips back to hers, this time more roughly than before. She reached down to unbuckle his pants, which he had somehow managed to keep on. He watched her face as she concentrated on removing the last two articles of clothing between them. He kicked off his jeans and boxers when she finished. She looked back into his eyes as her hand caressed his hard cock. "I love you so much…"

"I love you too," he replied softly as he moved to position himself at her entrance.

_The thug unzipped his pants as he cut off the last remaining pieces of her skirt. "This is going to hurt," he sneered._

He tried to fight back the bile rising in his throat at that flash. Her gaze looked uncertain when she saw the flicker of disgust on his face. He locked eyes with her. "You're mine," he swore possessively as he sheathed his erection into her in one swift stroke. She nodded profusely. "Claim me," she answered as he began thrusting.

And that's exactly what he did. His movements were slow and gentle at first, but she needed more as he began to thrust harder to meet her. He held one hand on her hip as he moved over her. Being inside of her was absolutely amazing. There was something awesome about the fact that they had only ever given their bodies to each other. They were the best kind of lovers. They only knew each other and had no desire to know anyone else.

"Oh yes…" She moaned as he hit a spot deep within her. He captured her lips and explored her mouth with his tongue as her hands clawed at his back, keeping him as close as possible. His eyes darkened and his pace quickened as she wrapped her legs around him, spreading her legs wider. She cried out at every thrust as he pulled her close to climax. His power was swelling deep within her body and to her there was absolutely nothing else in the world other than this feeling and this boy. She dug her nails into his back as his thrusts became harder. His cock was so deep inside her, she feared she would rip in two.

"Come with me," she gasped as one of his hands moved down her body to play with her clit.

"Yes…Maria…. with you," he ground out as he neared his own climax.

_"Let her go," she heard from the entrance of the alley. She looked up and saw the love of her life, her soldier, her Spaceboy coming to save her. _

"Oh, Michael!"

"Maria!"

They orgasmed together in what was the greatest orgasm in their long and rocky history together, that was already full of great orgasms. It felt like the entire fabric of the universe had been remade. His body emptied into hers in an explosion of sparks. It felt like fireworks were going off all around them. It was beauty. It was light. It was creation.

Later, after the aftershocks of the shared alien orgasm had died down, Michael pulled his spent member out of her warm body. She groaned slightly at the loss. He laid on his side and pulled her up against him, with her back pressed against his chest. Sleep soon overtook them, feeling safe, protected, and most of all _loved_ in each others arms on the longest night of their lives.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Maria woke up feeling better than she'd ever felt. Michael's arms were wrapped tightly around her, one hand was even cupping her breasts in his sleep. She was still feeling the euphoric aftershocks from the night before. She turned around to look into his sleeping face, but he woke up at her movement.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he answered , kissing her shoulder softly. It was obvious that he was still sharing in the euphoria. She came closer, resting her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, without looking up.

He pulled back and looked at her cautiously. "What exactly are you apologizing for?"

She shrugged, "Being so needy last night. I know it's not how you and I work-"

He put his finger to her lips quickly, silencing her. "Don't," he warned. He paused and scratched his eyebrow. He still was hesitant about lovey-dovey speeches, but he continued anyway. "I- I needed you too."

She grinned as an idea came to her. "Then you wouldn't mind doing one more thing for me?"

"What?"

She craned her neck toward him. "Bite me."

"Hell yes," he exclaimed as he attacked her neck furiously. He quickly found his favorite spot on her neck, biting and sucking, marking her as his. It felt like a message that he was sending out to any man that looked at her: "_This girl belongs to someone."_

"Oh Michael… that feels so good," she moaned as he continued his assault. He reached down, cupping her sexy ass in his hands as she cried out for more. Her fingers found their way into his hair, clutching as much as she could hold, keeping him flush against her.

When his naked lower body and hers came into contact, they both gave a great groan of appreciation. _Damn,_ she thought, smirking inwardly. _My boy is hard!_ She sighed loudly at the memories of the night before and he obviously felt ready for round two.

"They're not answering the door," Kyle complained as Isabel walked past him.

"They're probably still asleep." She waved her hand over the lock. "Now try." She continued walking down to the main lobby for breakfast.

He opened the door and quickly put his hand over his eyes at the sight of Maria's naked back and the both of them, um… not sleeping.

Michael quickly raised his hand in defense as Maria pulled the blanket up over her.

"Kyle? What the hell?!?" Michael exclaimed as he moved away from Maria.

"Don't blame me. I've been knocking for five minutes and Isabel says that we have to go steal another car," he replied, not moving his hand.

"_Now?_"

"Yeah, you need to do it early before people start waking up. We would've had you do it last night but…"

Michael understood. "Yeah, just give me a second to find a shirt."

By this time, Maria had put on one of Michael's shirts. "You can look now, Kyle."

He peered through two open fingers cautiously, then removed his hand. "Sorry Maria. Not that I don't think you'd look perfectly hot naked, I just don't think I'd live long enough to appreciate it."

Michael grunted an agreement, slipping on his shoes. "What time is it?"

"Six."

Michael quickly did the math in his head. That meant that he was going on only 2 hours worth of sleep. He groaned inwardly. He was always the one to steal the cars. Max and Isabel claimed that he was at the best at it, and he wasn't one to argue. He looked over at Maria, not sure if he could leave her just yet.

Kyle caught the glance , "I'm going to go down to the lobby. Free continental breakfast," he explained and left the room.

"Are you going to be okay?" Michael asked, coming to sit next to her

"Yeah," she smiled. "But why do you have to do it?"

"Because I'm the one not bogged down with morality."

"What?"

"Because Max and Isabel won't," he chuckled. She smirked and leaned in for a kiss. He greatly obliged, but when she tried to deepen it, he tore himself away.

"If we start, I'll never leave and someone will probably recognize our van from last night."

She sighed in reply and lay back on the bed. "I'll miss you, Spaceboy"

"I'll be back this afternoon. We can have our fun then." He leaned down and kissed her nose.

She smiled. _Michael doesn't get playful very often, but when he does, it makes everything worth it._

And with one last chaste kiss, he was out the door. Maria frowned and reached for the TV remote.

Michael made a stop at Max and Liz's room before going down to meet Kyle.

"Michael? I thought you were supposed to be getting the car."

"On my way, Max. But first I need to talk to Liz for a minute."

Max nodded and moved out of the doorway.

"What is it?" Liz asked as she walked up to meet them, dressed only in her robe.

"Can you keep an eye on Maria? I don't want her to be alone for too long."

"Yeah sure," she nodded. "I'll go over there in a few minutes."

"Great, thanks." With that, he left to go meet Kyle.

"Knock, knock!" Liz called as she stepped into the room.

"Doesn't anyone actually knock on that door before they open it?" Maria pouted as she sat up from the bed.

"I come bearing food," she motioned to the plate of muffins and the bottle of orange juice.

"All is forgiven," she exclaimed as she climbed out of bed to accept the food.

They reclined back on the bed as Maria changed the channel to a black and white movie.

"So…," Liz grinned without looking at her. "You had a good time last night."

"Huh? Wait- you heard us?" Maria gasped.

Liz giggled and looked back at her. "Sure. You and Michael are never really that quiet."

Maria looked down, embarrassed, but still smiling. "Sorry about that."

Liz laughed. "No apologized needed. You were…" She searched for a polite word. "an _inspiration_ to me and Max."

Maria shrieked and hit Liz with her pillow. "Ew!!! You mean that you and Max had sex to Michael and I having sex! That's just gross!"

Liz ducked, still laughing. "Trust me, Maria. We weren't thinking about you and Michael."

Maria continued laughing, "Oh my God. Wow." She paused to catch her breath. "Weren't we innocent virgins, like a year ago?"

Liz chuckled. "We were virgins sure, but you were never innocent."

Maria got one more good whack in on that remark.

Liz blocked the shot and continued. "And now we're…"

"Complete sluts for our men? Yep."

They both leaned back on the bed. "So are you okay? From earlier last night, I mean?" Liz asked carefully.

"Yeah, I mean, nothing really happened. Just a few scrapes and bruises, and the torn clothes that Max patched up."

Liz nodded. They continued watching an old Humphrey Bogart movie for the next two hours, until Maria excused herself to take a shower.

Liz let herself out of the room as Maria stepped into the bathroom. She stripped and walked into the shower. She turned on the water and leaned up against the back tile, sighing happily. It felt so good to be in love. To finally be in a place in their relationship where Michael wasn't afraid of commitment, where she didn't feel suffocated, and have a long enough history together to understand each other without arguing over petty things. _Though sometimes the arguing isn't all bad, if it leads to something else_… She grinned. _Michael and I have to try out this shower when he comes back._

A little while later, she stepped out of the shower, humming to herself. She looked at the clock. _Only 9:00? There's still hours before Michael makes it back._ She pouted but decided to go ahead and put on her makeup and then put on some clothes.

She looked in the mirror, starting to put on some lip gloss, but then she noticed something weird. She looked down and there glowed a small hand, emanating from her belly.

"_O Mierda."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Maria gently kissed her way down his chest. He ran one of his hands over her naked back as he groaned softly at her ministrations. She looked up and caught his eye, and from the intensely sexy look she was giving him, he knew exactly what she had in mind. His entire body throbbed when she moved lower…_

"Michael!" Kyle punched his shoulder. "Dude, keep your eyes open."

Michael sat up, annoyed at being pulled from his dream so soon. "I'm looking, I'm looking…"

Kyle huffed at the pissy alien and continued his search for the perfect car to steal.

"There!" Michael exclaimed suddenly. He pointed to an old rusted station wagon in a Lowe's parking lot.

"For sale? Someone's thinks they can actually sell that car?" Kyle remarked, noting the sign taped in the back window with a phone number.

"They won't have to," Michael smirked. "They left it out here in that lot. Anyone could come steal it."

"And the fact that the thieves are using alien powers…"

"Hey, you've got to plan for anything."

Kyle turned the minivan into the lot. "So what do we do with this one? The rust and ditch?"

"Yup," Michael nodded. Kyle turned back toward the road, stuck at a light before he could turn into the parking lot. Michael looked down at his fingers. He had barely been able to keep still the entire trip. His fingers were itching, literally itching for Maria. He couldn't understand it. He felt like he was going to go insane if he didn't get back to Maria soon. And her calling him last night was still bothering him. Max had always talked about this "awesome connection" he had with Liz. Was his and Maria's finally getting strong enough to feel? Michael shook his head. Maybe Maria did call him and Kyle and Max just didn't hear. He made a mental note to ask her later.

"Mike! Stop zoning out on me. I need you ready to work your voodoo because I'm willing to bet that that car won't run on it's own."

Michael nodded. "I can take care of that."

Kyle parked next to the car and they both hopped out. Kyle tossed him the fake keys that they kept so they wouldn't look suspicious. Michael looked like he was using the key to open the car as he used his powers to open it.

"Okay, you follow me. When we're safely out of town, we'll stop and change this car and dump that one."

"Okay, sure," Kyle answered.

"And no stopping for McDonald's this time! You know you can't restart it yourself. We'll get food after we meet up," Michael objected as he leaned back in the minivan to turn it on.

"Okay, okay," Kyle groused as he climbed back into the car. "It's not my fault that my magic powers haven't appeared yet."

"They're not magic-" Michael started until Kyle shut the door on him.

After about an hour on the road, Michael started getting antsy again. _Damn it! Why couldn't I have stayed with her?_ He ran his hand over his eyes. He felt like he could feel her across the distance. Maybe this was a viable connection after all. Right now, she was… upset. Not sad, angry, or in danger. Like something was going on that she was unsure of. Michael hit the gas a little faster until he heard Kyle honk his horn from behind him. Michael looked around. _This is as good a time as any. _He pulled over and met with Kyle.

"You zoning out on Maria again?" Kyle asked, getting out of the car. Michael grunted in agreement. He looked around again, and seeing no incoming cars set to work in changing the station wagon into a nicer car.

"Is she okay?" Kyle pressed.

Michael looked up at him, surprised. "How did you know we…"

Kyle held up his hand. "Max and Liz do,. I assumed you and Maria did too."

Michael nodded. "I think we do. I'm not positive yet. And to answer your first question, she's upset about something. She's not hurt. She's just upset."

"So you're rushing to get back."

Michael nodded. "Yeah, so if you don't mind just waiting till we get back to the hotel to stop for food…" He moved over to the minivan and started changing the color, license plates, and adding plenty of rust to the car.

"It's fine. We should be there in about an hour anyway."

After finishing up, they left the minivan off the side of the road and drove off in the new-looking station wagon with Oregon plates.

"So, has anything been going on with your powers?" Michael attempted to make conversation to keep his mind off of Maria.

"No. And by my calculations I should've started crackling two months ago."

"Well, maybe it's supposed to work longer with you."

"Why?"

Michael shrugged. "I don't know how Max's healing works."

It was a quiet car ride back, with only an rock station to appease the silence. _What's going on, Maria?_ Michael asked in his head, hoping for a possible reply. _Come on, Blondie. If you can call out for me, I can call out for you. Tell me what's going on._ After fifteen minutes of trying he finally gave up, his fingers still itching for her.

Two hours later, they finally pulled into the motel parking lot. Michael practically jumped out of the car and bolted up the stairs to get to his and Maria's room.

"_A station wagon?"_ He vaguely heard Isabel complain as he went by her. He knocked on his own door, not wanting to scare her if she was changing clothes or in the bathroom.

"Michael," Maria smiled, opening the door. She reached up to peck his lips.

He inwardly let out a sigh of relief, "So you're okay?"

She let a small flicker of nervousness cross her face. She looked away as he crossed her to enter the room. She didn't want to tell him something. That much was obvious as she turned around to close the door.

"Maria, come on. You can tell me." He pleaded sitting down on the bed.

She took a deep breath a walked up to him. He took her hands in his as she started to speak. "Okay, just don't freak out, okay. I don't know the right way to say this, so I'm just going to show you. And you can just react, okay?"

Michael furrowed his brow, searching her face for clues. "What is it, baby?"

She released his hands and reached for the hem of her T-shirt. He held his breath as she lifted it up. It didn't take long for him to find the handprint.

"You're… pregnant?" He stammered, trying to wrap his brain around it.

She gave a nervous smile. "Yes."

"I'm going to be a dad?" He asked, a smile starting to shine through the shock.

She took that as a good sign. "And I'm going to be a mom."

He reached for her, "Oh Maria…" He practically smothered her mouth with his and pulled her on to the bed. "We're going to have a baby?" He asked, excitedly after giving her a long , deep kiss.

She smiled brightly. "Yes, we're going to have a baby." She had no idea why she'd been so nervous before. Sure Michael had always been wishy-washy when it came to their relationship, but it made sense that he'd be happy about this. All his life, the one thing he always wanted was a family of his own. And now he would have it.

"Last night?" He asked between furious kisses.

"I think so," she nodded, pulling him against her. She grinned, "Damn alien genetics."

Michael howled with laughter and kissed her passionately. Maria was pregnant. He was getting very turned on at the thought. He moved down and kissed her stomach, kissing delicately over the tiny handprint. Instantly he was hit with flashes.

_"Oh Michael… Yes! Yes!" She exclaimed as he moved over her. He leaned down and kissed the sweat off her forehead._

"_Maria… love you… so much…" he whispered as he came._

Then he felt flashes he couldn't describe. He felt more than he saw. He felt a connection, like something reaching out from him and holding onto Maria. It was a girl. It was a tiny little girl that carried his and Maria's genes. His little girl.

_I'm going to be a father_, his realizations continued as he moved the two of them up the bed.

"God, I want you so much." He whispered heatedly.

Maria nodded, "Yes…" She claimed his mouth again, reaching to pull off his shirt. "Oh god, Michael…" she murmured his mouth attacked her neck, momentarily distracting her from her job.

He sat up suddenly, "Wait, can we? Won't we hurt the baby?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. And God help us if we have to go nine months without sex!"

He laughed, "That's my girl."

He held her close, lacing his fingers with hers. "What are we going to tell the others?" She asked softly, snuggling into Michael's arm.

Michael sighed. "Let's tell them tomorrow. This is just ours tonight.:

She smiled and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her, "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

She reached up, stroking his face with her palm. "Ditto, Spaceboy."

He kissed her palm tenderly, then reached to cover her stomach with his hands. The glowing was gone now, but it was permanently etched in his brain. His mind traveled back to all the nights he spent in Hank's trailer, he had prayed to a god he didn't truly believe in for a family. All he wanted was family to come home to. And now he would have it, with Maria and his unborn daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Maria woke up in her old bed in Roswell. Confused, she looked around. It was exactly as she left it. When she stood up, she noticed that she was in her old pajamas and couldn't feel her hair down her back like she usually could. Her eyes widened as she looked into the mirror and saw that her hair was cropped short, like it was when she was younger. She walked over to her dresser, noting her jewelry box, her hair brush, and the napkin holder than Michael had made for her. She reached down to pick it upand found that she could vaguely feel the weight of the object. _This is a dream. I shouldn't be able to feel that. _But on the other hand, it didn't feel like she remembered it. _It's like I'm somewhere between awake and asleep. _ Indulging herself, she walked to her closet and looked at all her clothes she hadn't seen in four months. Then she moved to her old scrap books, looking at pictures of Liz, Alex and herself from when they were little.

Gathering courage, she took a step toward the door, hoping that her mother might be on the other side. When she finally opened it, there was nothing on the other side, only pure blackness. She received a very hard pounding deep inside her head. She slammed the door and sat back on her bed, pulling her blankets up to her. She tried to her best not to panic, until she heard the faint ringing of a phone from somewhere far away.

_Brring! Brring!_

Michael reached over and picked up the phone. Maria woke up from her dream and snuggled in closer to him.

"Sure Maxwell… We'll be there. Okay, goodbye." He hung up the phone and looked down at his girlfriend. "Max says we all need to meet in his room in a half an hour."

Maria shook her head. "Uh-uh… Sleep more." She tried to snuggle even further into his side.

Michael smiled, "Uh-uh, Maria. We need to get up."

He moved over and started kissing her side.

"Mmmm… you know we'll never get out of bed if you keep going."

"I know," he whispered as he grabbed her sides and started tickling her suddenly.

"Michael! Stop it! Stop!" She laughed as she tried to maneuver out of his grip. "Stop, stop! I'll get up! I'll get up!"

He trapped her underneath him and stopped with his face inches away from hers. They both sobered down immediately. "I'm scared, Michael," she whispered.

He nodded and kissed her temple, not knowing how to respond.

"I mean, I'm just nineteen. We're fugitives…" She trailed off, looking away. He gently touched her face, making her to look at him._Stay with me, baby,_ he said without speaking.

"I want my Mom," she whispered tearfully.

He kissed her forehead, giving him a moment to put his thoughts in order. "Look," he started. "the night you said that you were coming with me, I made a vow. I swore that I would do everything in my power to make sure that you were happy, and that you would never regret your decision. I swear the same thing now."

He gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. She looked into his eyes and he continued, "I love you Maria. And I swear with everything in me that if you stay with me, I will protect you and our daughter until the day I die." He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed each one, still not breaking his gaze from hers.

She have him a small smile, "You really are out of this world."

He grinned and moved forward to kiss her. This was a different kiss than most. It was filled with a special kind of passion that was rarely shared between them. It was a kiss full of promise. It was Michael's act of sealing his vow.

After breaking apart, Maria took a deep breath. "So, are you ready to face the firing squad?"

Michael groaned and lay back down on the bed, "Oh, I feel a lecture coming on from Max."

"It shouldn't be that bad."

"How could you two be so reckless!?!" Max shouted as the rest of the group remained silent. Michael unconsciously moved into a protective posture in front of Maria.

"Max, it wasn't like we planned this." Michael refused to say that it was a mistake or an accident. "It just happened, okay."

Max ran his hand through his hair. He was absolutely fuming. No one in the group had ever seen him this mad before. _Such a hypocrite_, Maria seethed inwardly. Liz tried to talk Max down and get him to sit with her on the bed, but he wasn't having any of it. "Do you have any idea how hard its going to be to have a baby on the road with us? Oh course not," he sneered. "You don't think anything, Michael. You never think at all. And you," he faced Maria. "it's just as much your fault. If you hadn't let him..."

"Hey, that's enough!" Michael yelled back, standing up. But it was like Max was above listening to anything.

He ran his hands through his hair again. "Okay, Maria, you've just got to go take care of it. I'm sure there's a clinic somewhere in town-"

Max was flown against the wall of the room before he could even formulate the next word. In another blink, Michael's hand was around his throat.

"If you so much as touch Maria or harm a hair on my daughter's head… I will kill you, _brother._" Michael's eyes were cold and menacing as he held Max against the wall.

"Michael!"

"Max, stop it!" The group shouted, trying to control of the two warring aliens. Kyle stood up from his corner in hopes to pull Michael off, but Max finally regained control of his senses and sent out his force field to push Michael back against the door.

"Stop it you two!" Isabel shouted as she raised her hands to move them farther away from each other. But then it didn't work. Isabel shook her hands a few times, but nothing came out. "My powers! What's wrong with my powers?" Isabel cried out causing Max and Michael to stop and take notice.

"What's wrong?" Max asked coming to his sister's side.

"It's not working," she quickly reached down to her blue tank top in an effort to change the color, but nothing was working. "All my life, my powers have never gone out like this! Why?" Isabel was completely freaking out now. She was reaching for anything she could touch to try to change it.

Michael grabbed her hands, fearful that she'd hurt herself. "Stop it Iz. It's probably just stress. Don't try to use your powers for a few days. They'll come back to you." Isabel nodded slowly, calming down. Kyle moved to sit next to her.

Michael looked back over at Max. Max averted his eyes, but he was back to normal now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just… Geez, what're we going to do? I mean, we need help and we don't even know-"

"If a human girl can carry a hybrid baby," Liz finished softly. She had a dazed look in her eyes and was speaking so softly that the rest of the group inched closer to her.

Maria caught her eye and nodded. It was something that they had discussed many times over the years. Having aliens as soul-mates tended to inspire such speculation.

Max looked over at Michael. It was something they had talked about too. Michael decided to forgive him, for now. He sat back down next to Maria on the bed. He put his arm around her, trying to relieve her melancholy. "I say we go track down the other shape shifter, that Kal Langley guy. If anyone would have answers, he would."

Max shook his head, "We can't. He'll never talk to us. Not after what happened last time."

"Just because you burned that bridge, doesn't mean we all did. Face it Maxwell, we need answers. Mine and Maria's baby, Isabel's powers, Kyle's lack of powers. We need an ally, an ally with answers."

"Michael, we can't-"

"Yes we can. He was supposed to protect us. That's what he was sent here to do. As long as we don't do something stupid, like force him to change back into his alien body." He muttered the last part.

Max sighed. "We can't go back to Los Angeles now." Before Michael could protest, he continued. "We'll keep going like we've been going, and if anything gets worse, we'll go see Kal."

Michael sighed and looked down at Maria. She nodded at him. Michael looked back at Max, "Okay. But first sign of anything…"

Max nodded. "All right."

Kyle spoke up, "Now that that's settled, where to next?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"You're scary when you're angry, you know that?" Liz spoke cautiously as she took off her jewelry looking in the mirror. Max sighed, visibly guilty at his actions from earlier. "Yeah, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. Why did you go off on them like that?" She turned around to face him. "You're kind of not one to judge, Max."

"I know," he sat down on the bed. "It's just… you know, Tess's pregnancy, and giving up Zan, you're powers..."

"You pretty much called Maria a whore."

Max winced, "Yeah, that probably deserves a face to face apology."

When she saw him get up to leave, she called out "Not tonight. Give Michael a night to calm down." She walked over and sat next to him on the bed. "Max…" she took his hand in hers.

"Yes?" He looked up into her eyes, lacing his fingers with hers.

"What if it was me? Would your reaction have been the same if it was me?"

He hesitated. That was not what he expected her to ask. He paused for a moment to answer truthfully. "I don't know. I'd be happy, but I'm so scared right now for all of us." He raised one hand to cup her cheek. "I love you and I'd love our child, but I wouldn't want to bring a child into this right now."

She nodded, grateful for his honesty. "Okay."

They both moved back on the bed and Liz took the remote, flipping through channels.

"So, why are you so afraid to see the other shape shifter again?"

Max pulled her back against him. "I can't face him."

She turned over, searching his face. "Why?"

"After what I did, making him change back to his alien form, after he begged me not to… I make myself sick."

She took his face in her hands, kissing him softly. She didn't know what to say, she tried to offer comfort the only way she could. He looked into her eyes. "I felt like a monster."

"You had to find your son. You did what you had to."

"But it didn't work. He told me that it wouldn't work. But I didn't listen." She stroked his face softly, not really knowing what to say. "I was like Zan." She stilled for a moment, but Max didn't notice. "I can't go face him again."

"You know you're scary when you're mad?" Maria smirked, sitting up on the bed.

Michael frowned, "Did I scare you?"

"No, no…" she assured him quickly. "Kind of sexy, actually."

He grinned, "Oh really?" Then he turned serious. "I did kind of let Max have it though. I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, but he freaked and he had every right to."

Maria shrugged, not really wanting to get into this conversation. "Whatever, I'm going to heat up one of these TV dinners."

"Okay, I'm going to jump in the shower then."

A half hour later, Michael exited the shower. He found Maria lying stretched out on her bed in nothing but a small pair of panties. He moaned inwardly at the sight of her arms stretched above her head nonchalantly as she watched the TV. _God, she's so beautiful._ Michael had heard somewhere once that there has to be a lot of lust in love. _Definitely no problem there._

"God, Maria…" he groaned. She turned and noticed him. She also noticed the prominent bulge that wasn't hiding itself very well behind a towel. She leaned back to fully view him as the towel fell from his waist. Her eyes dilated as they both watched each other, drinking in each other's bodies while standing on opposite sides of the room. Michael reached down to stroke his dick slowly. She licked her lips unconsciously.

"Shit Maria," he mumbled as he walked toward the bed. She stood up on her knees and met him as he neared her. Their mouths met in a heated instant; tongues, lips and teeth fighting for dominance as he pulled her flush against him. The height of the bed and the size of their bodies made a perfect fit. He grasped her breasts roughly, rolling his thumbs over her taunt nipples. She sighed in appreciation. "That's so good Michael…" She could feel him poking into her stomach and decided that it had been ignored long enough. Her hands wrapped around his shaft and he shuddered at her touch. "Oh damn… Right there," he growled as she began to pump him slowly. She kissed down his neck to trace his glorious pecs with her tongue. He moved one of his hands to cup her bottom tightly, possessively.

Satisfied that she had given him a successful hand job, she began to kiss further down his chest. He groaned when her mouth covered his cock. He looked down, seeing the soft halo of her long blonde hair. _My girlfriend, my pregnant girlfriend has my… Ohh…. in her… _He was so hard and getting harder as she continued her ministrations. He grunted when she began to suck more powerfully. _God damn, I love this woman. _

He pulled her up before he lost himself completely. "I want to come in you, not your mouth." She smiled and he pulled her up, kissing her deeply before gently pushing her back onto the bed. With one heated look into her eyes he thrust himself home inside her. "Oohh!!!" She cried out, clutching his back tightly. He continued thrusting, deeper and harder until she stopped him. "Wait a minute…" She panted. He stopped immediately. "What is it? The baby?"

She shook her head and moved to push him over. "I want to be on top." She smirked suggestively.

"Yes ma'm," he flipped them over and she readjusted himself inside her before moving again.

"Ride me baby."

"Oh God, Michael…" She moaned as every thrust, his magnificent cock bumped her clit.

"Fuck, you're so tight baby," he praised as he moved his hips further into hers. Michael admired the way her small, firm breasts bouncing with her movements over him and he fantasized for a moment about the huge, swollen belly that she'd be gaining in a few months.

A few thrusts later and they were both ready to combust. She reached a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she tried to gain control of her orgasm. "Oh I'm so close…"

"I'm right there with you," he ground out, not wanting to lose it just yet. Suddenly, she leaned down to trace his lips with her tongue before biting down.

"Maria…"

"Michael!" The lamp burst right next to them and Michael moved to shield her from the flying shards while still riding the waves of the crushing orgasm.

_He stood alone in his tent, looking through papers and maps. It was late at night when the rest of the world had gone to bed, but still he stood, pouring over his charts. Maria thought that he looked isolated from the rest of the world. He led a very solitary life and to the average onlooker, he was content with it, but on the inside, he was incredibly lonely. He lived to be strong, to show no weakness, and Maria had it on good authority that she was the only person who would ever seem him in pensive moments like these. Suddenly, there was a knock on the tent door._

Maria woke up suddenly. Looking over at the clock, she realized that it was only 2 o'clock in the morning. She looked into Michael's face for a few moments and then untangled herself from his arms, trying her best not to wake him up. He stirred for a moment when she exited the bed, and his arm was reaching for her absently, but she just moved away from him. She put on a pair of jeans under the tee she wore and a pair of flip flops. When she reached the outside balcony, she saw that Liz was already there.

"Dreams again?" Maria asked, moving to stand next to her against the rail.

Liz nodded, "Zan."

Maria echoed, "Rath."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Liz, we cannot tell them."

"Why, Maria? I hate keeping things from Max."

Maria sighed. "I know and I hate keeping things from Michael but this isn't something they need to know."

"Need to know? Maria! We are getting flashes of their past lives. This is something that goes in the 'need to know' file." Liz whispered incensed.

"Do you share with Max every single flash you get from him?" Liz remained silent. "I didn't think so." Maria paused for a moment. "You know how they feel about the whole 'before' thing. They hate their past selves. How do you think they would react if they knew that we were dreaming about them like that? Do you remember what Michael was like when he had Max's seal? He still hasn't forgiven himself for that. We don't tell them until we have to."

"But that's just Michael. I could tell Max-"

"No!" Maria interrupted quickly. "If you tell Max, Max will tell Michael, Michael will be very mad at me."

They both paused, looking out at the dark parking lot. "They see themselves as evil back then, but we know they weren't. How can we ever convince them of that?" Liz asked quietly.

"I don't know. Maybe we just wait until we figure out how to convince them and then we tell. But until then, it's just our secret. By the way, do you notice anything weird about those dreams?"

"Besides the fact that I'm getting flashes of my alien boyfriend's past life as a king on another planet?" Liz pretended to think for a moment. "No, no… all perfectly normal." She smiled and Maria laughed quietly. "Okay, just checking."

A little while later, Maria snuck back into her room. She disrobed silently, but when she moved back to the bed, Michael stirred, barely awake. "Where'd you go?" He mumbled.

"Bathroom," she lied, resting her cheek against his chest. He wrapped her in her arms again, before falling asleep. Maria was having a harder time of it. _Okay, so, mental inventory: I am having dreams of Michael's past life as General Rath and I'm having half-awake dreams were everything feels real. I'm pregnant with a half-alien baby. _She mentally sighed. _And I'm lying to my boyfriend._ She looked up into his face. She felt so guilty but she knew that she couldn't tell him. Maybe at least she could have a normal pregnancy.

She should've known better. She woke up weak and incredibly nauseated. Michael woke to the sounds of her throwing up in the bathroom.

"Maria?" He asked groggily, letting himself into the bathroom to check on her. She groaned a response. He knelt next to her on the floor, pushing her hair off her face as she look at him with a pained expression.

"I though I was supposed to ease in to this morning sickness months from now. Not have it hit me like a ton of bricks three days after we conceived."

"I'm sorry baby. Anything I can do?" He stroked her hair, feeling guilty.

She nodded. "Yeah, you can take me back to bed for starters. I think I've already thrown up all I had to eat yesterday."

He picked her up easily and laid he back down on the bed. "Anything else?"

"Just hold me for a while." She felt like she physically needed his touch, and oddly enough her nausea started to subside when he put his arms around her. It was like the sex they'd been having lately. It had always been awesome but now it was _more_.

"Hey Maria," Michael spoke, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Mhm hmm?"

"That night in the alley… You yelled for me, right? That's how I heard you."

She shook her head. "I couldn't. He had his hand over my mouth and the knife at my throat." Michael tensed, but let her continue. "I just thought that you had come looking for me when you found me in the alley."

"Maria, I heard you." He looked down for a second, thinking. "Could you have yelled out for me in your head?"

She was about to argue but then thought about it some. "I might have. But how-"

"Max and Liz do it all the time. The connection, it makes sense."

She snorted. "Yeah, alien sense."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Feeling any better?"

"Much," she smiled. "What time does Max want us to head out?"

"7:00 sharp." Michael looked over at the clock. "And it's 6:45 now."

Maria groaned and moved to get up pack up their things when all of a sudden the nausea and weakness was back. "Oh man… I think I stood up too fast."

Michael volunteered to pick up their meager belongings while Maria lied helpless on the bed. _What is going on with me?_

"Any luck with your powers, Isabel?" Kyle asked as he packed his duffle bag into the back of the station wagon. When they left Roswell, Max had allowed everyone to fill up one duffle bag full of everything they thought they needed at a local mall and it was still the only stuff they carried with them on the road.

Isabel shrugged, throwing hers in behind Kyle's. "They're back, but a lot weaker."

"So you were human for a while there," Kyle tried to joke. Isabel just glared in response. "What's wrong? I was just kidding," Kyle tried to amend.

Isabel sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that for the last twenty years, I've always been able to count on my powers. And when they were gone… It felt like I was missing a hand or foot or something."

"But they're back now, right?"

She grimaced and reached for his shirt to demonstrate. She touched it and slowly, very slowly, the brown shirt started to lighten into a tan color. Kyle watched for a few moments and then looked up at Isabel's face. She was concentrating harder than he had ever seen. At even closer inspection, he realized that she wasn't even breathing.

"Isabel! Iz! Calm down," he pulled her hand off his shirt and looked at her. "It's not worth you hurting yourself for."

Isabel looked at him with tears in her eyes, "What is going on with me?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Maria woke up in a strange bed. It wasn't a very comfortable one, either. She turned over and was faced with an even stranger room. It was small with lots of posters on the walls: _Wicked, The Princess Bride,_ a Van Gogh print, and some various bands. There was a corkscrew bulletin board on the back of her door with some pictures of Liz, herself, and other people she didn't recognize. There was also a schedule tacked to it. Getting out of the bed, she looked at it more closely. _"Mondays: 10:00 US History After 1886, 11:00 Voice and Diction, 01:00 Voice Studio, 02:00 Biology Lab…"_ Taking another look around the room, it dawned on her: _It's my dorm room._ Or what would have been her dorm room. She looked back toward her bed and saw a picture frame on her nightstand. Picking it up, she lost her breath for a second. It was a picture of her and Michael, one of those pictures you take of yourself while holding the camera. It looked like they were at a party. She was grinning at the camera and Michael was kissing her cheek. She smiled and set it back down. It was the same vague touch that she had dreamed before. _This is so cool,_ she gushed as she picked up her planner sitting on her desk. Classes, classes, date with Michael, party at Pi Kapp, Chamber Choir concert… This looked like an awesome life to her. She almost didn't want to wake up and leave it. It looked like she was a music major at whatever school she was at. She didn't have a roommate, which was just fine with her. It probably made for more private time for her and Michael… She smiled and checked out her mini-fridge: plenty of Snapple, Easy Mac, chips, muffins, and ice cream in the freezer. On a whim she picked up the ice cream, strawberry flavor. She took a small scoop of the ice cream on her finger and brought it to her lips. She could taste it, but a ghost of a taste. She smiled, she was beginning to like these kind of dreams. It seemed like all too soon she would be torn from it.

"Good dream?"

Maria opened her eyes to see Michael watching her. She nodded, "Great dream." Michael smiled and continued driving the car and she was sitting in the back with Liz. She must have been smiling for Michael to notice.

"You still nauseous?" Liz asked as settled back down in the seat.

"A little bit," she answered honestly.

"Do you know what you're going to name her?" Liz inquired, her eyes sparkling.

Maria laughed. "No, we haven't really talked about it yet. I think we're still waiting to get over the shock."

Liz nodded, understanding. "So was anything different that night?"

Maria looked up, surprised at her questioning. "You mean the night we…"

Liz nodded. Maria looked around to make sure no one else was listening. Michael and Max were arguing over the map in the front seats and Isabel and Kyle were sharing a pair of headphone in the middle seats.

Maria nodded. "Yeah, it was special. That night we were…" Maria searched for the right word, but she was coming up empty. "More." She leaned in closer so she could be sure that only Liz could hear. "That orgasm was the most incredible thing I've ever felt."

Liz giggled, excited. "I almost can't wait to find myself pregnant… in a few years," she amended.

Maria smiled. "Just so you know, it seeming like the first time you forget protection, you'll find yourself pregnant. I mean, you can count on, like three fingers the number of times we've forgotten a condom. And even then I was on the pill. With Michael and Max, you can't forget protection."

Liz's expression changed. "What do you mean? How do you know that they-"

Maria's smile stopped. She had only meant to warn Liz, not dredge up old issues. "Max told Michael and Michael-"

"Can't keep his big mouth shut," Max finished from the front seat. Neither girl had realized that he was listening. Max was livid. He didn't want those images of him and Tess together in Liz's head.

"Max, I was only trying…"

"To open old wounds."

_"To warn her,_" Maria finished for herself. She caught Michael's glance in the mirror. He wasn't speaking, that wasn't a good sign. "I thought it was information that she needed to know."

"_She_ can decide for herself what she needs to know," Liz announced, not happy with the way the argument was going.

Maria opened her mouth to speak but she was suddenly hit with vibes from Michael. He was trying to get her to be quiet. "It can only get worse," he mouthed to her from the mirror. Max was glaring at her, holding her completely responsible for the fight that would inevitably ensue between him and Liz.

"You shouldn't have brought it up," Michael stated as they got settled into their next hotel room.

"You're taking his side?!? It's like Max is looking for any reason to get into an argument lately," Maria fumed as she threw herself on the bed.

"No. I'm just saying that if I was ever with another woman, I wouldn't want you to have to be reminded of it every day." The second it was out of his mouth he wished that he could take that statement back.

Maria raised an eyebrow at him. "If you were ever with another woman, we'd have more problems than my being reminded of it." She turned away from him, furious that he'd even bring that up.

"Come on," he sat down next to her. "You know there could never be another woman. I can barely handle you." He made an attempt at a joke, but it was the wrong tactic. He finally touched her shoulders and made her turn to face him, a serious expression on his face. "You know there could never be anyone else, no matter what. It's you or no one."

She finally nodded and moved into his embrace. "I know, I'm sorry. It must be the hormones from the pregnancy. I'm going to go check on Isabel, ok?"

"Ok," he answered after kissing her softly. He was immensely happy to have dodged that bullet. That was a fight he was not looking to have.

"Isabel?" Maria called from outside the door.

"What do you want?" Isabel asked vehemently as she opened the door.

Maria looked at her surprised. "What?"

"I said, 'what's up?'" Isabel clarified with a sudden smile as she let Maria into her room. Maria was very weirded out as she

cautiously walked inside.

"I was just coming to check up on you," Maria answered, sitting down on the chair. _Maybe I just imagined it._ "Your powers getting any better?"

Isabel shrugged. "Not really. And I'm not really sure what happened."

"Stress?" Maria guessed.

Isabel just shrugged again. "I'm just tired all the time."

Maria nodded, "I know. Same here. Hey, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me?"

"What?"

"What's it like to dream walk?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, does it feel any different to you from a regular dream? Like touch, taste, smell?"

Isabel shook her head. "Not really. It feels more like a dream of my own than something I'm actually experiencing. Any specific reason for asking?"

"No reason, just wondering." Maria had never been healed by Max, so logically there was no way that she was getting powers.

"You're not getting powers or anything, right?"

"No!" She protested, maybe a little too much. She didn't want to say anything until she was absolutely sure. She didn't feel like raising two red flags this week.

* * *

AN - I usually don't do "author's notes" but just a reminder that reviews = love, and we all know that love = less time between chapters. Thanks!


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